public defender

noun

: a lawyer usually holding public office whose duty is to defend accused persons unable to pay for legal assistance

Examples of public defender in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Balmer’s public defender in that case did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025 Image But Matthew Mahaffey, who runs the city’s public defender office, which represents people who cannot afford attorneys, said that monitoring was too often required of people who posed no flight risk or threat to public safety. Taylor Tiamoyo Harris, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025 The request from deputy public defender Christopher Montoya to Judge Javier Alcala comes a day before Becker is due back in Santa Clara County Superior Court in Morgan Hill for sentencing. Grace Hase, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025 Early on, Scharf discovered his training as a public defender was surprisingly useful in the cutthroat world of entertainment law. Claudia Rosenbaum, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for public defender

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of public defender was in 1822

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Cite this Entry

“Public defender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20defender. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

Legal Definition

public defender

noun
: a lawyer usually holding public office who represents criminal defendants unable to pay for legal assistance

More from Merriam-Webster on public defender

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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